The present invention relates generally to eye-wear and more particularly to eye-wear using magnets for attachment.
Auxiliary frames with lenses have been used for decades to augment deficiencies in primary frames. For example, the auxiliary frames may be for magnifying purposes, or may transform the primary frames into sunglasses.
For decades, people around the world have been creating numerous ingenious methods to attach the auxiliary frames onto the primary frames. In one line of approaches, the auxiliary frames are clipped onto the lenses of the primary frames. Not only do such clips obstruct the wearer""s vision, they may scratch the lenses of the primary frames. To alleviate the defect of view obstruction, there are designs using small clips at the edges of the frames. However, these small clips still create scratches on the lenses and the primary frames; and attaching these auxiliary frames with small clips requires some maneuvering with two hands, and it would not be easy to do so, for example, if one is driving. Also, to detach such an auxiliary frame from its primary frame, one typically have to push down at its bridge and warp the frames outward on both sides of the lenses. It is not uncommon for such actions to permanently deform the auxiliary frame.
Another approach uses two pairs of magnets instead of clips, with one pair on the primary frame and the other on the auxiliary frame. The magnets are located on the plane of the lenses, and are close to the temples of the frames. Since they are on the plane of the lenses, they have to be carefully designed so that they can blend into the general style of the frame, without being too conspicuous. One way is to make the magnets very small. With gravity pulling the auxiliary frame away from its primary frame, the magnets have to be of certain size so as to have sufficient magnetic power to hold the auxiliary frame to the primary frame.
One reason for the magnets to be close to the temples is that the pair of magnets on a frame should be as far apart as possible. This is to ensure the auxiliary frame to be right over the primary frame, not only at the locations close to the bridges of the frames, but also at the locations close to the arms of the frames. However, in order to have sufficient coupling power, the magnets on the auxiliary frame have to match in both locations and orientations to the magnets on the primary frame. This is not an easy task, especially because the magnets are typically very small for stylistic reasons.
The further away the pair of magnets are on a frame, the more difficult it is to align them in both locations and orientations to magnets on another frame. First, imagine the magnets in a primary frame are slightly off in locations from those in an auxiliary frame. Since the magnets are quite small, slight misalignment in the locations would significantly reduce magnetic coupling between the frames. Next, imagine one small magnet in the primary frame is different in orientation from its corresponding magnet in the auxiliary frame. This can happen, for example, if the auxiliary frame has been slightly twistedxe2x80x94the magnitude of the difference is proportional to the distance between the pair of magnets on the frame. Two magnets may not even be able to couple together if they have different orientations. Misalignment in locations or orientations not only adversely affects the coupling power of the auxiliary frame to the primary frame, but also creates an unpleasant outward appearance for the wearer, especially when the auxiliary frame is tilted relative to the primary frame.
It should be apparent from the foregoing that there is a need for improved methods and apparatus to attach auxiliary frames to primary frames so that auxiliary frames can be easily, firmly and elegantly attached to primary frames.
The present invention provides methods and apparatus to easily, firmly and elegantly attach auxiliary frames to primary frames, based on magnetic members at the bridges of frames. The invention has numerous advantages. For example, it creates a very strong support for attaching auxiliary frames to primary frames, it is relatively easy to manufacture, it is easier to blend into the general design of frames, and it makes the auxiliary frames easily applicable to primary frames even with just one hand.
In one embodiment, the magnet at the auxiliary frame does not couple to the magnet at the primary frame on the plane of the lenses or the frontal plane. Instead, the magnet at the bridge of the auxiliary frame sits on the magnet at the primary frame. Coupling at a different plane, based on the present invention, reduces the difficulty in aligning the auxiliary frame over the primary frame, not only at the locations close to the bridges of the frames, but also at the locations close to the arms of the frames.
With the magnetic members at the bridges, there are many other advantages. The magnets are much less conspicuous than magnets disposed on the plane of lenses, making them easier to design and to blend them into the general style of frames. Gravity, instead of adversely affecting the coupling of the auxiliary frames to the primary frames, helps to keep them together.
Also, even if there are more than one magnet at a bridge, since the bridge is short, the magnets are in close proximity. This reduces the difficulty in aligning the locations and the orientations of the magnets in the auxiliary frame to those in the primary frame. In one embodiment where soldering is required, one only has to solder the bridge to the retaining mechanisms holding the lenses. This requires four soldering steps for both the auxiliary and primary frames: Two for the bridge at the primary frame to the two retaining mechanisms on either end of the bridge, and two for the bridge at the auxiliary frame to its retaining mechanisms. However, if the magnets are at the temples on the arms of the primary frame, one probably has to perform eight soldering steps: Two for the bridge at the primary frame to the two retaining mechanisms, two for the bridge at the auxiliary frame to its two retaining mechanisms, two for the retaining mechanisms to their corresponding arms for the primary frame, and two for the retaining mechanisms to their corresponding short arms for the auxiliary frame. With more soldering required, it is more difficult to match the locations and orientations of magnets.
In one embodiment, before magnets are assembled into the bridges, the bridges of both the primary and the auxiliary frames are made together, in one molding process. In another embodiment, both types of bridges are generated from the same mold before they are connected to their corresponding retaining mechanisms. Such manufacturing processes significantly enhance the matching in locations and orientations of the magnets in the auxiliary frame to those in the primary frame. Moreover, such manufacturing processes enhance the matching in the curvatures of the bridges of the primary frames to the curvatures of the bridges of the auxiliary frames.
Not only is the present invention more elegant, easier to design, easier to manufacture and more secure in attachment than prior art approaches, a person can easily use one hand to attach an auxiliary frame onto a primary frame of the present invention.
In one embodiment, a first frame of an eyeglass device includes a bridge with a magnetic member, and two retaining mechanisms for supporting a pair of lenses. The retaining mechanisms defines a frontal plane, which is the plane of the lenses, or the plane in front of the face of a wearer of the eyeglass device. The bridge connects the two retaining mechanism and holds them together. The magnetic member at the bridge magnetically couples to another magnetic member at the bridge of a second frame. The coupling can occur at a coupling surface on the second frame that is substantially perpendicular to the frontal plane. When coupled, the second frame is attached to the first frame. Due to the location of the coupling, one of the frames is restricted from moving downwards relative to the other frame. The magnetic member at the bridge of the first frame can be a permanent magnet.
In another embodiment, the magnetic member at the bridge of the first frame is in the shape of a cavity so as to receive the second frame""s magnetic member, which is in the shape of a protrusion that can fit into the cavity. In yet another embodiment, the magnetic member at the bridge of the first frame comprises two separate parts, with each part being adjacent to one of the retaining mechanisms.
The second frame can be the primary frame, and the first frame can be the auxiliary frame. In one embodiment, the auxiliary frame further includes a flange that extends from the bridge of the frame to further secure the attachment of the auxiliary frame to the primary frame. The flange can generally be in the lateral or in the vertical direction relative to the bridge.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrates by way of example the principles of the invention.